Big Boy Parking

"Thomas Donohue" (tomonomics)
04/17/2020 at 09:45 • Filed to: None

Six BA A380's being stored at Chāteauroux, which they say is a ‘graveyard’ but Google maps says otherwise. Perhaps just a temporary ICU/morgue.

Cool drone video here....

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DISCUSSION (33)

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 10:02

737 Max’s took up all the good parking .

ttyymmnn > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 10:16

It will be interesting to see if they return them to service at all. They should have just parked them in the boneyard and walked away.

Svend > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 10:24

I watched a video the other day of all the aircraft parked up around the world at what were once busy international airports. It sort of made the 737Max aircraft parked up in storage areas as insignificant.

Thomas Donohue > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 10:26

Airport Manager : Ummm....hi, is this British Air? Yeah this is the valet at the French parking lot. You need to come pick up your planes. They have been here too long and are taking up space.

BA dispatcher: .

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 10:34

I really, really wonder what’s up with the leasing companies right now... ILFC can’t be loving this situation.

I was in Tucson the other day and drove out to Pinal. By now it must be full to the absolute brim... it looked like half the Delta fleet out there.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 10:36

I wonder if that’s ever happened... Land ‘em at random airports, taxi over to the GA side of the field, toss the keys to the FBO and call the Uber for a ride to the terminal. “Er, I’m going for-uh- coffee. Be right back...”

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
04/17/2020 at 10:43

Well, they were there first.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 10:43

https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-slashes-capacity-parks-up-to-300-jets-amid-unprecedented-coronavirus-impact/

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 10:53

with countries imple menting greater travel restrictions on which airports operate international flights, it isnt’ crazy we see a return to hub and spoke.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/coronavirus-travel-restrictions-airline-waivers/index.html

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 10:54

may depend how long fuel stays cheap.

ttyymmnn > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
04/17/2020 at 10:55

Those things were on the way out before COVID. This is just hastening their demise.

ranwhenparked > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 11:13

Some health experts are saying this near total world shutdown will have to last until 2022, at least. Since it costs something like $30k a month to properly s tore a commercial plane, I can't see BA keeping that up for 2 years. I give them to maybe the end of this year before they decide to scrap them.

ttyymmnn > ranwhenparked
04/17/2020 at 11:23

Some health experts are saying this near total world shutdown will have to last until 2022

It can’t.

ranwhenparked > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 11:46

I would agree, but I haven't seen anyone in authority say otherwise.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 11:49

I was shocked to see how many Regional Jets (AA and DL mainly) were parked out at Marana AZ... Those seem like the tools to use to keep costs down, even as demand goes to zero, while keeping services going on key routes.

Might be the union rules or something... but there are HUNDREDS of RJs and EMB out there.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 11:54

I guess it’s just a case of nobody flying at all. They may be some of the first to come out of the desert as we creep back to some semblance of normalcy.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 11:54

that depends if there are enough flights to justify routine point to point international flights. It may force a change back to hub and spoke, at least internationally.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 12:02

Might be the case. I wonder if they can bend the union agreements on “mainline” versus “regionals” in the circumstances?

Sadly, this might be the end of the 757, 767, A380 fleets. And, I have no idea what AA is going to do-- in theory the 757-200 was the only AA asset that could depart PHX on a 115 degree day, at full load, and make the flights to HNL, OGG, Kona and Lihue with adequate reserves. This might change fundamental route structures permanently.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 12:15

https://simpleflying.com/over-80-of-the-worlds-boeing-757s-are-grounded/

No way that Boeing could have predicted this, but if they had the 797 in the pipeline they would be perfectly poised to take advantage of the sudden demise of the 757 and 767, both of which have been slated for retirement or undergoing retirement for a long time. This forced contraction of the industry was inevitable, but nobody imagined it would happen all at once.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
04/17/2020 at 12:33

Yeah, all these carriers are going to be sucking up build slots for 321XLRs. It’s a real shame. If Boeing hadn’t mismanaged themselves into this box, they’d be in great shape.

I am more than a little horrified that we are bailing out the airlines, just given how they abused the passengers so badly with policies, fees and seat pitch in the last 10 years. Then managed to manipulate their share price via tens of billions of “share buybacks”. Hell, even Warren Buffett fell for it. He was persuaded to ignore the old maxim “Never own airline stocks” and went big on AA, DL and SWA... And, now, it turns out the airlines didn’t really have a license to print money and didn’t “return to permanent profitability”.

Buffett sold 13 million shares of DL stock the other day... at a > 80% loss. Ha-ha.

He thought he kne w when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. And, when to w alk away in disgust.

RIP Kenny Rogers

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 12:44

Too Big To Fail™ FTL

Thomas Donohue > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 12:48

It must have have happened with some bankruptcies....I know I’ve seen quite a few random planes at Shannon airport over the years. Probably stopped to refuel, and the company shut down while in flight. Can’t buy fuel when they cancel the credit cards!

Thomas Donohue > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
04/17/2020 at 12:49

Remember all those fuel surcharges from the last 10 years? Think they will roll those back???? /s

Thomas Donohue > ranwhenparked
04/17/2020 at 12:51

Plenty of people that are not in authority have started to stir. It was only a matter of time.

If we had widespread testing available, this would be easier.....

Thomas Donohue > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
04/17/2020 at 12:53

Serious question, wasn’t the point of the A380 to get back to hub/spoke — o ne massive pla ne between major hubs, then regional jets from there ?

Instead we have lots of (idled) 737's that can cross the pond.

(don’t get me wrong, I love me some direct flights)

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 12:54

All fares subject to 50% increase for that half seat we’re not using.

Thomas Donohue > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
04/17/2020 at 12:55

They only pre-paid for 12 month parking. Who knew there would be a premium on tarmac space?

facw > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 14:08

From this Post Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/business/coronavirus-airline-industry-collapse/

Delta and American planes at Birmingham, AL 3/22:

Kinja'd!!!

Delta, American, and Southwest at Victorville, CA 3/25:

Kinja'd!!!

Delta at Pinal, AZ 3/17:

Kinja'd!!!

American at Mobile, AL 3/26

Kinja'd!!!

United at Denver, CO 3/29:

Kinja'd!!!

American at Roswell, NM 3/24:

Kinja'd!!!

American at Tulsa, OK 3/24:

Kinja'd!!!

Scandinavian at Copenhagen 3/26:

Kinja'd!!!

Lufthansa at Frankfurt 3/26:

Kinja'd!!!

Air France at de Gaulle 3/27:

Kinja'd!!!

And this is happening all over the place.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 14:48

You think those engine covers were extra or were included in the MSRP?

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/17/2020 at 15:07

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/did-anyone-forget-where-you-parked-your-parts-hauler-1747021555

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
04/17/2020 at 15:09

Oh, crap. That’s gonna use more than one tiedown at the FBO, too...

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Thomas Donohue
04/17/2020 at 17:19

Not so much return, as never go away.

Boeing and Airbus in the mid 90s did a joint marketing study of what the next 40 years of avaiation would look like. Boeing looked at their own 747 sales and thought the market for jumbo jets would be @250 planes, Airbus thought the growing world travel would mean 1000+ jumbos with the 747 getting old in the tooth .

Thomas Donohue > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
04/17/2020 at 17:24

It came standard with white covers.

Optional:

Red covers

Red covers with blue stitching

Blue covers with A380 logo

Red covers in leather, with alternating white/blue stitching and AirBus A380 logo in black.